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just wanted to say massive thanks to everybody who supported me and cheered me on, i appreciated it a lot. sucks to lose the way i did but this tour gave me the confidence i need to win trophies in the future
Winning an official individual tournament has been a dream of mine for as long as I can remember, and finally getting to write this post feels pretty surreal
11 years in the making
I first started playing on Smogon as a 14 year-old kid back in 2015. I still remember staying under my blanket at 4 AM, playing Pokémon and getting absolutely destroyed by players like Mob Barley or Googly, who seemed to be playing an entirely different game from me. I genuinely couldn't imagine ever reaching their level, let alone qualifying for a cycle of an official tournament. And yet, here we are.
There's something very Kofi Kingston-esque about this whole journey. He debuted in WWE in 2008 and finally won the WWE Championship in 2019, at a point when many people probably never expected him to reach that moment. I feel like there's a similar story here. Eleven years later, that kid who never thought he would be good enough has finally managed to win one of the biggest individual tournaments on Smogon.
I think that's what makes this victory so special to me. Somewhere, there's a 15-year-old version of me who would've never believed this was possible.
A little bit of redemption
One of the moments I kept thinking about throughout this tournament was my semifinal against Empo in the 2024 Smogon Tour.
That match meant a lot to me back then. I was going through a rather peculiar period: things were actually going pretty well IRL, as I was doing an internship abroad in Bangkok, but I was extremely invested in this game because I had a lot of free time. I had spent the entire week thinking about what I should bring, trying to figure out the best possible approach for the SM matchup.
And then I got 6-0'd. In my tiers.
I remember being absolutely devastated. I was so frustrated with the game that I literally closed my laptop and didn't touch it for three days. I spent time walking around Bangkok, just replaying that loss in my head and thinking about everything that had gone wrong.
Looking back at it now, I can't help but feel like there was something rewarding about going through that experience. Almost as if I had to go through that particular disappointment to eventually experience the complete opposite feeling today.
I couldn't.. ladder?
I usually always play on ladder with my teams before tournaments game to be ready
I think it's fair to say that the ladder has gradually lost a lot of the value it once had as a serious testing environment. Between bots offering low-quality games, the possibility of teams getting leaked, and what feels like a general decline in the quality of games you encounter, I find it increasingly difficult to rely on it for meaningful preparation. I still laddered but it was not useful as I wanted.
This is particularly frustrating in SV, a tier where testing is already such an important part of the process. I had to rely on tests with my friends
One of my favorite memories from this run actually happened on Tuesday, at the beginning of the week. I had plenty of team options but absolutely no idea which one I should pick. I ended up playing around 20 games with my friend Jojo, trying different things and figuring out what I should eventually bring. The funny part is that my girlfriend was sick and sleeping in our apartment's only room, and I couldn't really play there because the light from my computer would bother her. So I ended up having to squeeze myself into the bathroom and play from there, in probably the least comfortable setup imaginable. But those games were genuinely crucial. They helped me narrow down my options, understand what I wanted to play and, most importantly, feel confident about my choices going into friday.
A little something to prove
I also want to be honest about something I've felt for quite a long time.
I've always had the impression that I've been underrated on this forum. I'm not entirely sure why, but despite my experience and everything I've tried to contribute to this community over the years, I've rarely felt like I was recognized for what I could bring.
One example that happened recently with was the SCL manager selection. I genuinely believed I had the experience and the ability to manage a team, yet when the opportunity came around, all ten other trios were picked ahead of mine.
I'm not bringing this up to complain or take anything away from anyone. It's just something that contributed to a feeling I've had for a while.
I guess winning the OLT might change a few perceptions. Maybe those little pink pixels will finally make some people look at me differently.
Although, to be completely honest, I'm not even sure I particularly like what Smogon has become over the years. It's a strange feeling to finally achieve something you've wanted for so long while simultaneously feeling somewhat disconnected from the community you've spent so much time in. Still, I won't pretend that this victory doesn't mean something to me
Breaking the French curse
And finally, I think it's pretty cool that I get to be the one breaking the curse of French players in official individual tournaments.
Since giara's Smogon Classic win in 2017, French players have had a rather unfortunate history when it comes to official individual tournament finals. By my count, we've had Ojama twice, Corazan, NA Weezing, Don Salvatore, Antonazz, Silent Waltz and Givrix all fall at the final hurdle.
There might be a few names I'm forgetting, but that's already quite a list.
So yeah, it's pretty satisfying to finally bring one home for France.
What's next
Winning OLT also made me think a lot about my relationship with this game and what I want to do next. With SPL coming up, I definitely have things I still want to achieve, and I'm really looking forward to being part of it considering i never won it.
Something I've realized over the past few months, especially during my ban, is just how much I actually love this game. Being away from it made me realize how much I missed playing, following tournaments and being part of this whole scene.
At the same time, things have changed quite a bit in my personal life. I've graduated, I'm now working full time, and naturally I don't have nearly as much time to dedicate to Pokémon as I used to. But I also realized that enjoying Pokémon doesn't necessarily have to mean constantly competing or putting pressure on myself to perform. I've been having just as much fun playing Nuzlockes on ROM hacks, without all the stress and competitive pressure that usually comes with playing on Smogon.
One last thing
I know this post is getting pretty long, but I really wanted to take the time to put into words what this tournament meant to me.
There are so many people who contributed to this run, whether through building, testing, advice, encouragement or simply being there throughout the tournament. I'll never be able to thank everyone enough.
But above everything else, I think I'll remember this tournament as the moment when a childhood dream finally became reality.
I won.
Attribute - I have to start with you, Bute. I genuinely cannot thank you enough. For those who don't know, Bute was the mastermind behind most of my prep throughout this tournament. Since I'm not a SV main, I needed someone who could guide me through the tiers and help me build teams tailored to my opponents. Attribute was exactly that guy.
A true coach who always made sure I showed up prepared with fresh teams adapted to whoever I was facing. I honestly can't even count the number of absolute bangers you came up with during this run. Even for the finals, when I was completely indecisive and overthinking everything, you went out of your way to cook up like 8 different teams because I was being paranoid about what to bring lmao.
At some point, choosing what to play became a headache simply because I had too many good options.
Thank you again for everything. I think people already know you're good, but they don't fully realize just how much of a genius you are at this game. It's hard to put into words how reassuring it was to show up to my games knowing that one of the very best SV players had my back
hellom – You're someone I can always count on. Whenever I need that little something, a quick opinion, a test, or some team ideas, you're always there. Playing against you in the finals would've been incredible, but also heartbreaking, so I'm kind of half glad we didn't end up facing each other lmao. You're next winning a trophy with no doubt tho.
Giannis Antetokommo-o - OTC I genuinely love talking to you, and your support throughout every single round meant a lot to me. I'll be your number one fan no matter what
Vert - I really had to mention you because you're my favorite SV player. Ever since your OST win a few years ago, I've always wanted to play SV the way you do. You've been a huge source of inspiration for me. Your little tips before the semifinals and your kind words during the finals genuinely helped me, so thank you for that. I miss our 2024 smogon tour training phase
kDCAzSbbeeaaStorm Zone - All the little tips or teams here and there were useful thank you for that my friends
SASAGEYO - One of the best guy I met this year, and thanks for the scouts every round. The analyses were always useful
ABR – My fucking goat. You're literally the Lionel Messi of Smogon to me. I just feel good knowing you're still around and showing me some support
CCLM - My day 1s
Team France - Thanks for the moral support and I promise I'll do everything for 2027 to be the second time the blue comes to us
TG -Thanks for all the support reading the finals logs was pretty crazy and funny too. I know I'm not the most active user, probably a terrible discord user who always forget to read the channels but I'm very happy to have a place like you. i've always wanted to be part of a Smogon non-french jerk back in the days but never really had the opportunity.. OLT BACK TO TG!!
@ - I don't think you can tag banned users lmao, but whatever, everyone will know who I'm talking about. You're genuinely the best friend I've made on this website in my 11 years here. Ever since we met in 2023, we've had this kind of inexplicable chemistry that makes everything so much fun. I honestly think this is one of the biggest reasons I still enjoy being around here.
You've also been an incredible part of this tournament run, and I don't think I could properly put into words how much your support and help meant to me throughout it. You were there for me in so many ways, and having someone like you in my corner made this whole experience even more special. Of course, you're also the reason I got banned in 2024 lmao, so I guess I owe you for that too.
But seriously, some friendships are just impossible to explain. Sometimes you meet someone online and somehow end up building a bond that feels stronger than some of the friendships you have IRL. I don't know exactly why or how that happens, but I'm incredibly grateful it happened with you. Love you bro.
